Need an anagram solver? A Scrabble unscramble? A Words With Friends cheat? Here’s a free Scrabble Word Unscrambler that can do all of the above. Use this simple word generator at no cost to you. Think of it as a non-judgmental helper rather than Scrabble cheat tool.
Also, check out this Anagram Solver or this Words That Contain tool. These word search and letter checkers can further improve your Scrabble skills.
If you want to learn the tips and tricks and improve your Scrabble or Words With Friends (by Zynga) skill level (meaning you won’t have to use Scrabble Word Finders as much), keep reading. We list our favorite helpful hints and words to know at the bottom of this article.
A Scrabble Word Finder can be helpful if you want to:
Expand your vocabulary and ability to form words in Scrabble.
Check if a word is valid.
Increase your chances of winning the game.
Word Finder tools can help you find possible words for Scrabble and Words With Friends. Be sure you choose the official Scrabble players dictionary for the USA, Canada, and Thailand — the Tournament and Club Word List (TWL). All other English-speaking countries use the Collins Scrabble Words (CSW) dictionary, formerly called SOWPODS.
Before we get into tips and tricks, let’s go over the basics.
Alfred Mosher Butts invented the precursor to the Scrabble board game in 1933, combining his love of board games and crossword puzzles. Butts registered the Scrabble trademark in 1948. The rights passed from owner to owner, but Hasbro secured them in 1986.
Hasbro owns the rights to Scrabble in USA and Canada, but Mattel’s subsidiary JW Spear & Sons owns the rights in the rest of the world.
According to Hasbro’s website, “The SCRABBLE game is found in three out of five American homes,” including the classic game, the junior version, and Scrabble Go.
Set up: Each player pulls 7 random tiles from a bag.
Place word: Take turns placing words on the Scrabble board. You must use 1-7 of your letters, which all must line up to form a single word.
Score points: When you place your letters and finish your turn, tally up your points. Each letter is worth a different point amount, determined by the little number in the corner of each letter. If the word you place adds to a word already on the board, you get to count that word’s points as well.
Remember bonuses: Pay attention to the bonus spaces:
Double Letter: doubles the letter score
Triple Letter: triples the letter score
Double Word: doubles the full word score, including any double or triple letters
Triple Word Score: triples the full word score, including any double or triple letters
Using All 7 Tiles at Once: worth 50 points
Each bonus space can only be used once, so if you make a word that intersects with an existing letter on a bonus space, you do not get that bonus.
Replace letters: Replace the tiles on your rack with new random tiles from the bag.
End the game: Once there are no more tiles in the bag, each player keeps playing with the letters they have. When one person runs out of tiles, or there are 6 consecutive turns with 0 points (probably meaning you “passed”), the game ends.
Subtract leftovers: Any letter tiles you still have at the end of the game are subtracted from your score. Toward the end of the game, you want to get rid of all your tiles quickly — especially the high-value letters.
Determine the winner: Whoever has the most points at the end wins!
0 points: Blank tiles/wildcards
1 point: A, E, I, L, N, O, R, S, T, U
2 points: D, G
3 points: B, C, M, P
4 points: F, H, V, W, Y
5 points: K
8 points: J, X
10 points: Q, Z
The following words are not allowed to be used in Scrabble:
Proper nouns (such as “CHARLES” or “ENGLAND”)
Foreign-language words (such as “HOLA” or “OUI”)
Abbreviations, acronyms or initials (such as “VA” for Virginia, “FBI”, or “NASA”)
Words with apostrophes (such as “DON’T” or “IT’S”)
Words with hyphens (such as “WHITE-CRESTED” or “YO-YO”)
Stand-alone prefixes and suffixes (such as “-TION” or “CHRONO-”)
The basic rule of Scrabble is, “Any words found in a standard dictionary are permitted except those capitalized, those designated as foreign words, abbreviations and words requiring apostrophes or hyphens.”
You must only play one word in a single connected line on each turn of Scrabble, but if that one word intersects with existing words and creates new words as a consequence, you get those points as well.
If you can’t play a word on your turn, you must pass. This counts as a 0-point turn.
To improve your Scrabble skills and win more games, you need to know a few words that will help you in a pinch. Below are the best Scrabble words and game skills you should learn.
AA (2)
AE (2)
AI (2)
OE (2)
OI (2)
Scrabble does not consider “Y” a vowel, but these two-letter words are still helpful to know:
AY (5)
OY (5)
YA (5)
YE (5)
YO (5)
QI (11)
ZA (11)
XI (9)
XU (9)
JO (9)
Good to know: The letters “C” and “V” are not in any 2-letter words.
There are nine valid anagrams you can form with these letters, RETINAS:
ANESTRI
ANTSIER
NASTIER
RATINES
RETAINS
RETINAS (duh!)
RETSINA
STAINER
STEARIN
If you have this combination of letters on your rack, you can rearrange them nine different ways to fit on the board, get the best point multipliers, and earn that 50 point bonus for using all 7 of your letters on a single turn.
Hooks are letters you can put on the beginning or end of an existing word to create a new word. Common examples would be pluralizing a word or making a verb past tense. These hooks can expand your tool belt and offer more advanced options for gameplay.
Here are some less common examples of hooks you can memorize to expand your knowledge of the Scrabble game dictionary:
AD - Z
DEADLINES - S
Z - EX
FLAMING - O
F - UTILITY
G - RATIFY
Z - HO
I - SLANDER
RE - Z
S - INCH
S - NAKED
S - WADDLE
S - WORDPLAY
T - OKAY
Y - EARN
Some foreign-language words are common enough in English that they are valid words in Scrabble, such as this word list:
ADIEU (6)
ADIEUS (7)
ADIEUX (14)
ADIOS (6)
AMI (5)
AMIE (6)
AMIGA (8)
AMIGO (8)
AMOUR (7)
BANDITO (10)
BENTO (10)
CINQ (15)
CRWTH (13)
EAUX (11)
HOMBRE (13)
MAHJONG (20)
MONSIEUR (10)
SAYONARA (11)
SUMO (6)
High-scoring words in Scrabble use the highest-score letters. Word length does not always dictate point value. Aim to form multiple words, and use premium squares as often as possible.
Highest-scoring words with 2 letters:
QI (11)
ZA (11)
XI (9)
XU (9)
JO (9)
AX (9)
EX (9)
OX (9)
BY (7)
MY (7)
KA (6)
KI (6)
OK (6)
Highest-scoring words with 7 letters:
MUZJIKS (29)
BEZIQUE (27)
CAZIQUE (27)
JUKEBOX (27)
MEZQUIT (27)
KOLHOZY (26)
SOVKHOZ (26)
ZINKIFY (26)
ZOMBIFY (26)
ASPHYXY (25)
JEZEBEL (25)
MUZHIKS (25)
PACKWAX (25)
QUETZAL (25)
QUEZALS (25)
QUICKLY (25)
SQUEEZE (25)
SQUIFFY (25)
ZYMURGY (25)
CACHEXY (24)
CHINTZY (24)
HAMZAHS (24)
HUTZPAH (24)
HYDROXY (24)
HYPOXIC (24)
JACKDAW (24)
JAYWALK (24)
JUMPOFF (24)
KIBBITZ (24)
KIBBUTZ (24)
MITZVAH (24)
OXIDIZE (24)
SHOWBIZ (24)
WAXWORK (24)
ZEPHYRS (24)
ZINCIFY (24)
ZIPLOCK (24)
Reminder: If you spell any of these words in one turn using all seven of your letters, you get a 50 point bonus on top of the point value listed. Using all seven letters in your rack is called a bingo.
Words With Friends is a free mobile app very similar to Scrabble. Let’s go over their basic differences.
Words With Friends and Scrabble use different dictionaries. Many agree that Scrabble’s dictionary (by Hasbro Inc.) is more consistent while Words With Friends can be frustratingly inconsistent. For example, the acronym BFF is valid, but not LOL.
The layouts of the boards are different.
Scrabble has 12 triple letter squares while Words With Friends has 16.
Scrabble has 17 double word squares while Words With Friends has only 12.
Scrabble’s bonus squares are arranged in an X and 4 V’s while Words With Friends’ bonus squares are arranged in diamonds.
In Scrabble, the center square where you have to build the first word is a double word bonus square. In Words With Friends, the center square is a regular square with no bonus.
Scrabble has 100 letter tiles while Words With Friends has 104 letters in the game.
A bingo (using all 7 letters at once) results in 50 bonus points in Scrabble and only 35 bonus points in Words With Friends.
Letter value differences:
L, N, and U are worth 1 point in Scrabble, but 2 points in Words With Friends.
G is worth 2 points in Scrabble, but 3 points in Words With Friends.
B, C, M, and P are worth 3 points in Scrabble, but 4 points in Words With Friends.
H and Y worth 4 points in Scrabble, but 3 points in Words With Friends — the only time Words With Friends lowers the point value.
V is worth 4 points in Scrabble, but 5 points in Words With Friends.
J is worth 8 points in Scrabble, but 10 points in Words With Friends.
Most Scrabble Word Finders work with both official Scrabble dictionaries and Words With Friends dictionaries.
If you’re in a competition, Scrabble solvers aren’t allowed. However, if you get stuck in a friendly game, and your 7 letters just seem like a jumble, give it a try. Word solvers are a great way to train yourself for games and expand your vocabulary.